[ajm218]

Scoring: Total Points

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1♣ (3♥) 3♠ 4(♥)
P P ?

You're playing 2/1, 1♣ is 2+

[Free]

5♥ I guess.

[P_Marlowe]

4S.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[ArtK78]

4♠. Most likely the right spot.

[gwnn]

4S..

[pooltuna]

ajm218, on Jun 18 2010, 03:05 AM, said:

Dealer: North Vul: N/S Scoring: Total Points

♠ AKxxxx ♥   ♦ xxxx ♣ KQx

1♣ (3♥) 3♠ 4(♥)
P P ?

You're playing 2/1, 1♣ is 2+

X > 4♠ >>5♣. IMO partner made a FP at his last call. With 3♠ he was more likely to call 4♠ so I think he has a max of 2 and chances for a bad ♠ break are higher. Consequently take the money and run unless he now pulls in which case we need to do a rethink.

[mcphee]

Usually double is the winner on these hands. Partner can bid 4S/ 4N with D/5C and pass. Is the 6th S here going to force me to bid the S game knowing I can be forced on the go?

[gwnn]

isnt double ummm penalty?

I would double for penalty on 4 trumps also and with 0? How will partner know?

[ArtK78]

Partner's pass over 4♥ is forcing, but it is not a "forcing pass" in the sense that he is asking you to make a final decision. All that his pass means is that he has no clear cut action over 4♥.

If partner could not double 4♥ knowing that I have a game forcing hand with a spade suit, then I certainly am not going to double 4♥ with a heart void.

[Phil]

Double? Seriously?

Partner's pass is forcing. I would expect partner to double with a defensive minimum that doesn't want to hear 4♠ or 5m.

Our hand is offensive, not defensive. While 4♠ could be silly opposite a minimum 0=3=4=6, it still could be OK.

If pard is waiting in the weeds with a 'pass and pull', I will expect another move. I'm thinking 4N should be RKC at this point, since if pard wants to back into a minor suit slam, 5N is available.

[Fluffy]

I'd try only 4♠, the hand is good, but we don't have a fit yet.

[wank]

when i was given this hand i voted for 5nt. 4s seems a bit gay to me - partner's likely got very few wasted values in hearts, not least because he didn't smack 4H himself.

[aguahombre]

Opener would have gone out of his way to bid 4S with HX XXX, or maybe even XX.
He would have gone out of his way to double with a defensive minimum.

Conclusion: opener has 5+ clubs. 5♣ is fine. Why should I assume he has enough to make 6m (by bidding 5n)? If he does, he will bid 6/5

[andy_h]

4♠, game before slam. Maybe we''ll have a golden slam opposite partner's weak NT or maybe partner might have ♥Qxx along with ♠Qx which makes defending not profitable but not enough for slam. One thing I can be sure of is that if we want to be in slam say 6♣, partner requires ♠Qx and ♣AJxxx(x+) and ♦K and even then spades will need to break favourably because our hand is tapped when they lead a heart. Given that the opponents have preempted I don't fancy things to break as smoothly so I will go for game first and that's 4♠.

[gnasher]

What would partner open with a balanced hand and 4-4 or 5-3 in the minors?

[Hanoi5]

I think I'd double, but I'd like it to mean 'Partner, you decide whether you leave it or go on'. I already bid 3♠ so partner should support me with 3 or 4 spades, since he didn't and didn't double himself he might have some hearts and maybe both minors and 4♥x could be our best contract. Another question is whether his double would have been for penalties, in which case his hearts wouldn't be very important and a game in a minor or 4♠ might be better. Also, is his Pass forcing? I think it sort of is.

[ajm218]

Gnasher - 1d with 4-4 and 1c with 5c and 3d

[gnasher]

ajm218, on Jun 19 2010, 01:18 PM, said:

Gnasher - 1d with 4-4 and 1c with 5c and 3d

So given that partner has neither three spades nor four hearts, he must have five clubs? In that case I bid 5♣.

If partner could be 2344, I'd bid 4♠. I'd rather risk a 6-1 spade fit than a 4-3 club fit.

[gnasher]

Given that partner has five clubs, it's worth considering what we hope to gain by playing in spades. Opposite two small spades, we'll have a spade loser in 4♠ that won't exist in clubs, so being one level higher may not matter. Opposite a singleton, we'll probably have two spade losers that don't exist in clubs.

Also, trumps may break badly. We know that playing in spades a bad break will be a problem, whereas partner's clubs may be good enough to survive a bad club break.

4♠ only clearly gains opposite ♠Qx, or when we need to throw diamonds on a black suit and the entries are problematic in clubs. That's quite a small target.

[andy_h]

That's true gnasher but what I'm fearing is if I can trust the opponents to have 10 hearts as they are favourable. If partner is 1345 then both 4S and 5C should be okay as both contracts depend on favourable diamond position, if partner is 1336 then clubs is likely better than spades, if partner is 2335 then spades will usually be better and I don't know the likeliness if partner can be 2434.